Vegan Bechamel aka white sauce is quick and easy to make with a few simple ingredients, yet it's so smooth, rich, and creamy that you feel like you're eating something fancy. This basic white sauce is incredibly versatile and be used in vegan lasagna, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, on pasta, or even turn it into a cheese sauce with just a few modifications.
Originating from France and named after Louis de Bechamel in the 17th century, traditional Bechamel sauce is simply butter, flour, and milk mixed together to make a rich and creamy white sauce. So, to make vegan Bechamel, you only need to swap out the butter for vegan butter or oil and the milk for plant-based milk.
Bechamel or white sauce is considered a "mother sauce" a culinary term meaning that a starting sauce or a base in which other sauces are born. You can use this smooth creamy sauce in vegan lasagna, baked ziti, or other casseroles to bind them together, as a thickener in cream-based soups like vegan cream of broccoli or vegan cream of celery soup, or as a base sauce for all types of savory creations.
Ingredients that you will need and substitutions:
- Vegan Butter - Use a good quality vegan butter like Earth Balance or Mikayo or use the stick version of my homemade butter recipe. Cheap margarine has too much water and will not make have enough fat content to make a good roux.
- Flour - white all-purpose flour works best. You can use whole wheat, but your sauce will not be as smooth. If you need it to be gluten-free, and all-purpose gluten-free flour mix will work too. (I find that Trader Joe's gluten-free flour mix works well.)
- Plant Milk - any vegan milk will work, just be sure to use the plain variety and not vanilla. I find that soy milk and oat milk are the creamiest, but any will work. You may also want to choose to use unsweetened milk since many of the plant-based kinds of milk are too sweet for savory dishes.
- Salt - for flavor.
- Nutmeg - or any other herbs or spices for flavor.
How to make vegan Bechamel:
- Heat 1 1/4 cup plant-based milk in a saucepan or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until it is hot but not boiling.
- Heat 2 tbsp vegan butter in another small saucepan until it melts then sprinkle with 2 tbsp of flour and stir until it gets bubbly
- Slowly stir in the hot milk stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and comes to a slow boil.
- Add salt and any other seasonings that you wish to the sauce. (I love a dash of nutmeg in the basic white sauce.)
Pro Tips for a perfect vegan Bechamel cream sauce:
- Use hot milk. This helps the roux dissolve into the milk better.
- Add the milk slowly and stir constantly. This will make it super smooth and creamy.
- Add a little more milk for a thinner sauce.
- Add a little less milk for a thicker sauce.
Variations of vegan white sauce:
You will never run out of ideas in the kitchen when you know how to make these basic sauces. Here are a few popular variations:
Sauce Soubise (Onion Sauce):
Saute 1/2 cup of finely diced onions in 1 tbsp of butter or oil until they are soft and translucent. Add them to the sauce and stir well. You can use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the sauce into a smooth consistency.
Sauce Aurore (Bechamel with tomato flavoring):
Stir in 1-2 tbsp of tomato paste at the end of cooking the Bechamel. This adds flavor by giving the sauce a little acidity and a beautiful color.
Sauce Mornay (cheese sauce):
Simply add 1/2 cup of vegan cheese (or nutritional yeast) during the last minute of cooking and stir well until it is melted. (Just be sure to you a vegan cheese that melts well). This sauce can be used as a cheese sauce to make a rich and creamy vegan mac and cheese.
Herbed White Sauce:
Throw in a few teaspoons of your favorite herbs like oregano, sage, herbs de Provence, or even some pesto.
Garlic White Sauce:
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic to the butter as you start making the white sauce. Let the garlic warm in the butter for about 2-3 minutes before adding the flour. Complete the rest of the steps the same. This is delicious mixed with veggies for a creamy pasta primavera.
Creamy Cajun Sauce:
Instead of salt, add 1 tsp of Tony Chachere's or any brand of Cajun seasoning that you like for a spicy flavorful sauce that delicious with sauteed mushrooms and served on pasta and even over rice.
Welch Rarebit:
Replace the milk with a can of beer and then add 3/4 cup of vegan cheddar cheese, 1 tsp dry mustard, and 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (or A1 steak sauce if you can't find Worcestershire sauce). Welch Rarebit is traditionally served over toast and makes a quick and easy meal.
Want some more delicious vegan sauces?
- Vegan Alfredo
- Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta Sauce
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Easy Vegan Stroganoff
- Vegan "Chicken" A La King
Subscribe to my email list to get my free eBook “The Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples” or if you are ready to fully dive into making your own vegan cheese, butter, yogurt, and more check out my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples!”
A rich and creamy white sauce made from a roux and vegan milk.
- 1 1/4 cup plain plant-based milk (oat milk, soy milk, or Ripple are all great choices)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or neutral-flavored oil
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 dash nutmeg (optional)
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Heat 1 1/4 cup plant-based milk in a saucepan or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until it is hot but not boiling.
-
Heat 2 tbsp vegan butter in another small saucepan until it melts then sprinkle with 2 tbsp of flour and stir until it gets bubbly
-
Slowly stir in the hot milk stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and comes to a slow boil.
-
Add salt and any other seasonings that you wish to the sauce. (I love a dash of nutmeg in the basic white sauce.)
- Use hot milk. This helps the roux dissolve into the milk better.
- Add the milk slowly and stir constantly. This will make it super smooth and creamy.
- Add a little more milk for a thinner sauce.
- Add a little less milk for a thicker sauce.
- Add 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor if desired.
I put this over my baked ziti and it came out perfect! I love the flavor that the nutmeg brings to the whole meal. Thanks for this easy recipe!